Blog Entry #3

Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal", uses a satirical writing style. Swift talks about the problem in his home country of Ireland. During the early 1700s, famine and poverty were both an issue.  He is writing to the government and persuading them to make a call to action to solve the problem of starvation and to help cut down the population of the homeless. The government doesn't seem to be listening or even attempting to make any effort to fix their problem. This leads Swift, to show people "what's up", writes an essay introducing the idea that the people of Ireland should begin to eat babies, from one to two years old.  The idea itself is unethical, but is drastic enough to get the attention of the government so hopefully they'll do something about it. His idea of eating babies would provide food for those who are hungry and limit the number of mouths that will need to be fed later on in life. By using cannibalism as an example on a way to fix the issue, Swift explains his reasons and makes it sound completely reasonable and not out of the ordinary. He states that from a source he heard that "a young healthy child well nursed, at a year old, [is] a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled" so at least we know a child would taste good. The thought of eating another person makes me not want to eat anything. Although the taste itself should be enough, he then says that "a child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone... [it] will be very good on the fourth day." A baby is capable of providing multiple meals which would greatly help the famine problem for many families. It would also serve as an entertaining dish during dinner parties and could also be seen as a delicacy to other countries. Swift then take his idea to another level when he says that the babies' skin could be used to "make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen." Harvesting the children would be considered fashionable as well. This is absolutely disgusting to me, but with the point he is trying to make, it seems humorous. His idea will overall benefit those woman/"breeders," too in which they will be paid eight shillings per annum for selling their children to be eaten and will also be reimbursed for the money they spent on the first year of nursing them to plumpness. Swift has the courage to state that the country's stock will increase by fifty thousand shillings per annum because of the marketing of baby meat and then the country would also gain the "profit of a new dish." This food would most likely bring new people to shacks and restaurants and the cooks could make it a more sophisticated and expensive plate by adding certain spices and flavors to the baby meat. Very blunt, he said marriages and life in the home would be dramatically improved for the men because they would no longer have any want to beat their wives while pregnant becuase it would damage the little bundle of cash inside of them. Swift says the reason we cannot eat children of an older age, is that boys become lean and hardened and have then have consistency of leather. Girls, wouldn't be an issue with tastiness on the other hand, but they are the ones set to be the breeders and so must be kept around once they have passed the age of eating. Throughout the essay, Swift refers to a number of well-trusted people from America, London, and various other places that have given him solid insight on the taste and profitable part of eating babies. He never actually states their names, but that's probably because they're made up people. He uses these fake sources to give himself credibility on the issue, and maybe also wants the reader to think that the information given by these people was given discreetly and they do not wish for their names to be shared due to such a touchy subject. In the fifth to last paragraph, he gives a "counter argument" which, seems to most likely be his actual argument and includes solid ideas for solving the problems of his country, which doesn't include eating babies. The way he writes this paragraph is very accusatory towards the government and gives the feeling of "You should actually pay attention to me bacause I have actual solutions and ways to help this country. All you have to do is listen." He says that no one should speak to him of these "expedients" until they have some attempt to put them into practice.  Fot the crazy idea of eating children, Swift finally explains that he has no intention of putting that into practice. The reader reads plainly that it was not his intention and he could not even contribute to the idea if he wanted to due to the fact that he has a nine-year old child and a wife that is done being a child "breeder".